The Child

When a paragraph in an evening newspaper reveals a decades-old tragedy, most readers barely give it a glance. But for three strangers, it's impossible to ignore. For one woman it's a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to her. For another it's the dangerous possibility that her darkest secret is about to be discovered. And for a third, a journalist, it's the first clue in a hunt to uncover the truth. The Child's story will be told.

The Secrets She Keeps

Everyone has an idea of what their perfect life is. For Agatha, it's Meghan Shaughnessy's. These two women from vastly different backgrounds have one thing in common - a dangerous secret that could destroy everything they hold dear. Both will risk everything to hide the truth, but their worlds are about to collide in a shocking act that cannot be undone.

The Broken Ones

A shadow follows Sophie. Watching. Waiting. Her instinct tells her that it's someone she knows. But who? The man she met Internet dating? The nurse caring for her ill mother? Or is her mother faking her illness? The only thing she knows is that she can't trust anyone. Sophie must delve into a dark history to reveal her stalker. But there are some stories that should never be told.

Liar

How far would you go to protect your family? Single dad Ben is doing his best to raise his children, with the help of his devoted mother, Judi. And then Ben meets Amber. Everyone thinks this is a perfect match for Ben, but Judi isn't so sure.... There's just something about Amber that doesn't add up. Ben can't see why his mother dislikes his new girlfriend. And Amber doesn't want Judi anywhere near her new family. Amber just wants Ben and the children.

Lies

Gripping and packed with twists and turns, this stunning thriller will make you question whether we can ever really trust the ones we love.... What if your whole life was based on lies? When Joe Lynch stumbles across his wife driving into a hotel car park while she's supposed to be at work, he's intrigued enough to follow her in. And when he witnesses her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben, he knows he ought to intervene.

The Missing Ones: Detective Lottie Parker, Book 1

When a woman's body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It's clear the pair are connected, but how? The trail leads Lottie to St Angela's, a former children's home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.

Sometimes I Lie

"My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me. I'm in a coma. My husband doesn't love me anymore. Sometimes I lie." Unnerving, twisted and utterly compelling, you won't be able to put this new thriller down. Set to be the most talked about book in 2017, it's perfect for fans of Behind Closed Doors, The Girl on the Train and The Widow.

Safe with Me: A psychological thriller so tense it will take your breath away

Thirteen years ago someone did something very bad to Anna. Now it's her turn to get even. Anna lives a solitary existence, taking solace in order and routine. Her only friend is the lonely old lady next door. She doesn't like to let people to get too close - she knows how much damage they can do. Then one ordinary day, Anna witnesses a devastating road accident and recognises the driver as Carla, the woman who ruined her life all those years ago.

Unravelling Oliver

Oliver Ryan is a handsome and charismatic success story. He lives in the suburbs with his wife, Alice, who illustrates his award-winning children's books and gives him her unstinting devotion. Their life together is one of enviable privilege and ease - enviable until, one evening after supper, Oliver attacks Alice and beats her into a coma. In the aftermath, as everyone tries to make sense of his astonishing act of savagery, Oliver tells his story.

The Word Is Murder

A wealthy woman strangled six hours after she's arranged her own funeral. A very private detective uncovering secrets but hiding his own. A reluctant author drawn into a story he can't control. What do they have in common? Unexpected death, an unsolved mystery and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz's new thriller. Spread the word. The word is murder.

The Break

The story of a relationship that everyone thought was forever and which is now in danger of being for never, The Break is about getting older and staying in love when life, real life, is trying to pull you apart.

Between You and Me: A psychological thriller with a twist you won't see coming

They say every marriage has its secrets. But no one sees what happens behind closed doors. And sometimes those doors should never be opened.... Sal and Charlie are married. They love each other. But they aren't happy. Sal cannot leave, no matter what Charlie does - no matter how much it hurts.

Good Me Bad Me

Annie's mother is a serial killer. The only way Annie can make it stop is to hand her in to the police. But out of sight is not out of mind. The secrets of her past won't let her sleep, even with a new family and name - Milly. A fresh start. Now surely she can be whomever she wants to be. But Milly's mother is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water....

The Girl Before

Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultraminimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a rerun of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the listener off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense portrayal of psychological obsession.

The Throwaway Children

Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage. It is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them, without their family's consent or knowledge, are Rita and Rosie, the throwaway children.

The Girlfriend

Laura has it all. A successful career, a long marriage to a rich husband, and a 23-year-old son, Daniel, who is kind, handsome and talented. Then Daniel meets Cherry. Cherry is young, beautiful and smart, but she hasn't had the same opportunities as Daniel. And she wants Laura's life. Cherry comes to the family wide-eyed and wants to be welcomed with open arms, but Laura suspects she's not all that she seems.

Angels and Demons

World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive - but not how to live. Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world....

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own family. He employs journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.

Each Little Lie

One split second can destroy your life forever. Single mother Jen Cornish is just trying to hold things together for the sake of her seven-year-old son Charlie. Until the day when she does an impulsive good deed to help a neighbour, setting off a terrifying chain of events that quickly spirals out of control.... When she is arrested for a crime she didn't commit, Jen quickly starts to wonder if someone is playing a cruel game with her - or is she losing her mind?

The Widow

Exclusive to Audible! Listen to a discussion between the author and the narrator of The Widow at the end of this recording. We've all seen him: the man - the monster - staring from the front page of every newspaper, accused of a terrible crime. But what about her: the woman who grips his arm on the courtroom stairs - the wife who stands by him? Jean Taylor's life was blissfully ordinary. Nice house, nice husband. Glen was all she'd ever wanted: her Prince Charming.

My Sister's Bones

Kate Rafter is a successful war reporter. She's the strong one. The one who escaped Herne Bay and the memories it holds. Her sister Sally didn't. Instead she drinks. But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return to the old family home. And on her first night, she is woken by a terrifying scream. What secret has Kate stumbled upon? And is she strong enough to uncover the truth...and make it out alive?

He Said/She Said

In the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse, Laura witnesses a brutal attack. She and her boyfriend, Kit, call the police, and in that moment it is not only the victim's life that is changed forever. Fifteen years on, Laura and Kit live in fear. And while Laura knows she was right to speak out, the events that follow have taught her that you can never see the whole picture: something - and someone - is always in the dark....

The Crossing Places

When she's not digging up bones or other ancient objects, Ruth Galloway lectures at the University of North Norfolk. She lives happily alone in a remote place called Saltmarsh overlooking the North Sea and, for company; she has her cats Flint and Sparky, and Radio 4. When a child's bones are found in the marshes near an ancient site that Ruth worked on ten years earlier, Ruth is asked to date them.

Audible Editor Reviews

"Silent Child is a unique book, a shining light of hidden horrors and unbearable tension in a genre where it is always difficult to stand out. Emma's slow descent into hell from the moment her son disappears feels real enough to make you hold onto your loved ones that little bit tighter. Sarah A. Denzil masterfully carries the reader alongside Emma on a tortured mental journey: theories, conspiracies and increasingly justified paranoia as suspicion falls on everyone she has ever held dear. Along with Emma, you find yourself pointing the proverbial finger of accusation at a series of characters who once seemed safe. A visceral, darkly atmospheric listen that will make your heart beat, your mind race and your spine tingle." - Gabriel, Audible Editor

"A good audiobook for me is one that takes me on a ride that I never could have imagined, and Silent Child did exactly that. Sarah A. Denzil weaves a tale that starts with heartbreak, adds mystery and suspense, and ultimately becomes a thriller. The writing is superb and it created a blockbuster movie in my mind as I listened. Silent Child had me at the edge of my seat the entire time, and I even fell off a few times." - Sean, Audible Editor

"The premise is shocking and it compels you to find out where Sarah A. Denzil will take the story. But, where I think the author is truly genius is in the way she supports the central plot with some heartbreakingly real and genuinely flawed characters that were so obviously as fully developed in Denzil's mind as the thrilling hook that makes you choose the book in the first place. There's so much more to this one than first meets the eye." - Alexandra, Audible Editor

Publisher's Summary

Introducing Audible's Thriller of the Year: Silent Child by Sarah A. Denzil, performed by Joanne Froggatt.

In the summer of 2006, Emma Price watched helplessly as her six-year-old son's red coat was fished out of the River Ouse. It was the tragic story of the year - a little boy, Aiden, wandered away from school during a terrible flood, fell into the river, and drowned. His body was never recovered. Ten years later Emma has finally rediscovered the joy in life. She's married, pregnant, and in control again...until Aiden returns.

Too traumatised to speak, he raises endless questions and answers none. Where has he been? What happened to him on that rainy afternoon? And now that he's back, whom can he trust?

At Audible we love listening to crime books. But every so often one comes along that we think is truly special. An Amazon Kindle number one best-seller, Sarah A. Denzil's Silent Child is taking Audible HQ by storm. In an Audible Exclusive production, Joanne Froggatt (Mrs Bates, Downton Abbey) delivers a powerhouse performance that will keep you gripped until the very last second.

This was at its best points mediocre and the majority of the time, poorly written, full of cliches similes and metaphors, implausible in every way and not remotely interesting. Characters are 2D and that's being generous. Pace is slow and NOTHING happens. The big reveal is obvious and uninteresting. The 'twist' is non-existent. Narrator does her best but you can't polish a t*rd. seriously, don't waste your time. Read Mark Billingham, Ben Aaronovitch, Clare Mackintosh or even Robert Galbraith instead. At the very least, the quality of writing in those books is strong. This is shoddy and it genuinely disturbs me to think so many people have bought in to Amazon's / Audible's hype around a dreadful, poorly written story that lacks any originality and skill whatsoever. Save your money and 9.5 hours of your life. Trust me.

I had high hopes for this as Amazon has "bigged it up" so much, but I found the pathetic heroine very annoying and her overly dragged out performance was irritating- how long can a voice tremble before it ceases to be of any impact!The climax was ridiculous and very unbelievable for a woman in labour- can't say anymore without a spoiler alert.A real shame and a waste of a credit.

I thought this was going to be another over hyped best seller that didn't stack up...... but boy was I surprised. I was gripped from the outside, by the storyline and the exceptional narration. I didn't see the twists until they hit me in the face. Clever, clever, clever and did I mention the unbelievably fantastic narration. Just wow!

Calling anything a thriller of the year is always a bold claim, especially when there are releases fairly close in the genre from authors like Rachel Abbott and Paula Hawkins as well as a plethora of others. But that's what Audible have done with this book by an author relatively unknown to their listeners. Does it match up to that claim?

First off I have to say that I definitely enjoyed reading it. The tight, clean writing style suggests to me a confident author working in sync with a good editor. Denzil takes a very human approach to her characters and builds them from a combination of strengths and frailties which mostly rang very true to me. She gradually builds the mystery in a plot where, in truth, I think some people will feel that not a lot happens during the middle of the book. For me, the start was excellent, the middle a quite subtle development of the story and characters before the book quite literally explodes towards the end with a conclusion of some considerable drama.

Most importantly to me the central character, Emma, came across very strongly. She is put through hell in all kinds of ways, both subtle and monstrous but remains thoroughly believable except at one point towards the end which does involve giving the author the benefit of a touch of artistic license near the end.

Jaonne Froggatt is also new to me, her narration is excellent. It's a real performance and while it might sound a strange thing to complement her and the production team on they know the value of a little moment of silence. All too often even the best narrators give a great OMG moment only for the narrative to carry on with the next chapter immediately meaning the listener either doesn't get to savour that great moment or misses what comes next. Here, there were a couple of great uses of a little silence which was a great extra to add to a fine performance.

So, in summary this is a fine thriller, well written and performed. Is it genuinely the Thriller of the Year? I'm not quite sure I'd go that far but I think it will be on a lot of readers' shortlists.

Firstly Joanne is an incredible narrator! She had me with goosebumps and tears within the first chapter! About halfway through I thought I'd guessed 'who did it' and was so disappointed that I had... BUT I was wrong!! The twist is genius! Kudos Sarah :D x

Just when you think you have it all figured out - POW- Sarah Denzil throws a plot twist at you. This is brilliantly crafted and brilliantly told. Definitely worth reading/listening to!

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Stargay2

26/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"An excellent book"

I'm not sure if this was a true story or not but it could have been. The author is amazing, she kept me interested from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book to all who can read, I will watch for Sarah A. Denzil's books as I couldn't put this book down... and Joanne Froggatt is a absolute great narrator, and I will listen to any of her books again.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bill J.

25/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Kept me on the edge of my seat!"

I loved how this story kept me interested with all of the twists and turns. The honesty of the characters was surprising, heartwrenching, and a breath of fresh air. Joanne Froggatt pulls everything together in great fashion.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Deborah

South Carolina

25/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Exceptional"

I had the best experience with this book. I enjoyed every hour. The story kept me interested throughout the book. And for once I didn't figure out the ending.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Jayme McGaugh

22/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"great"

very great, kept me interested. I did figure out early on who it was, but there were still a few tiny twists that were satisfying.

the performance wasn't bad. the volume of her voice changing was sometimes a little hard on the ears, but that very well could have been my headphones (they tend to overachieve a bit)

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

CMB4062

Michigan, USA

22/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Amazing performance"

I have never listened to a book read by Joanne Froggatt... this is more than a listen... it's an experience! Superb narration!

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Julie Gawehn

22/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"great story but some of the narration was annoying"

loved the story but the main characters voice was irritating. the narration part was good but the direct character part was horrible loud and whiney

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

R Fitz

Seattle, WA USA

22/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"good, but jumped the shark"

I enjoyed the book, and it was engaging even through the end. I felt that the culpret was easy to identify fairly early, but the author did a decent job making me wonder if i was wrong. the overall conclusion was a bit much, even before the very last chapter. the final reveal/twist (not sure what to call it without giving something away) really pushed it over the edge. i went from thinking it was just a little crazy to feeling pretty let down that the last "twist" and resulting actions by the protagonist were totally implausible.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ellie

Texas

22/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Triple Header"

This was the best...story and performance I have heard in a very long time.I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is good on too many levels to enumerate.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Abi Kerr

Australia

22/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Loved the narration!!!!"

Brilliant narration, good story, really enjoyed it and would recommend for a good listen. Thanks

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.